December 10, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact Diana Evans at 907-271-2815
North Pacific Fishery Management Council selects new Executive Director
ANCHORAGE — Following a national recruitment, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) announced today that Ms. Diana Evans has been selected as the fifth Executive Director to lead the Council.
“We’re excited that Ms. Evans will be assuming this role,” said Angel Drobnica, Council Chair. “She brings a wealth of knowledge about fisheries in Alaska and has the skills and abilities we were seeking to lead the organization.”
Evans has been employed by the Council since 2002 and served as the deputy director since 2017. She received undergraduate degrees in geography and linguistics from the University of California, Berkeley and has a master of science degree in geography from the University of London.
“I really appreciate the opportunity to serve the Council process in this role,” Evans said. “I am proud of the work that we’ve accomplished to sustainably manage fisheries in federal waters off Alaska and am honored that the Council selected me to continue to build on that success.”
“Engaging the public in fisheries management is a key part of our work,” noted Rachel Baker, Deputy Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and Vice-Chair of the Council. “Ms. Evans has worked hard to improve access to the Council process and I’m confident her commitment to public engagement will be a cornerstone of her approach in this position.”
Evans replaces David Witherell who retired in October 2025 after serving 33 years with the Council. Evans will manage a staff of 14 employees and an annual budget of $5 million. She starts on Dec. 9, 2025.
North Pacific Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional councils established by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act in 1976 (MSA) to manage fisheries in the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone, three miles off the coast of Alaska. Per the MSA, the 11 voting members serving on the Council are made of up people appointed by the Secretary of Commerce, and the state marine fisheries commissioners from Alaska, Washington, and Oregon as well as the Regional Director of the National Marine Fisheries Service. Federal fisheries decisions must be consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Act and other federal laws. The Council, along with the advisory bodies, were formed so federal fishery management decisions could be made at a regional level, emphasizing public input.